A/N: Here it is, the final chapter of one of my favorite stories. It is extra long for you pleasure and I hope you enjoy it. Thank you from the bottom of my heart to everyone who took this journey with me and for all who left me reviews. It means so much to me. Until we meet again on another journey, take care and be watching for a new story. Please review. NC

Chapter 62

"I thought we might take a hike today, pack some lunch, you know...Enjoy the great outdoors," Dean told Sam as he wandered into the kitchen when he smelled breakfast being cooked.

"Sounds good to me," Sam said sitting at the bar and hiding a yawn behind his hand.

"You sleep okay Sammy?"

"As a matter of fact, I think that was the best night's sleep I've had in a while. Guess the fresh air and sunshine will do that."

"I'm glad. Eat up and I'll get some lunch thrown together for us."

"Aren't you eating?"

"I have. I ate as I cooked," Dean shrugged. "Advantages of being the cook."

Sam looked down at his plate and began to eat as he listened to Dean humming with the soft music from the radio while he quickly fixed a picnic for them. Sam couldn't help but smile at him, thinking he was in his element right now. He thought Dean loved the outdoors and the quiet time it allowed him. He finished up and headed for the bathroom to brush his teeth and change into shorts. He came back out to find Dean had two packs ready for them.

"Let me hit the bathroom and I'll be ready."

"Alright, should I wear a hat?"

"Up to you," Dean called from down the hall.

Sam looked at the hats hanging by the door and decided he'd just pull his hair back out of the way. He gathered it up at the back of his head and slipped a rubber tie around it to hold it in place. He did grab the sunglasses up at least since the day was going to be sunny with a few scattered clouds splattered across the sky. He waited by the front door for Dean to come back out.

"You take this one," Dean said holding out one of the packs to him. "It's a two to three hour hike up the mountain to my favorite spot, but it's worth the climb," he told him as they walked out the door and Dean locked it behind them.

spn

"Don't give up yet Sammy, we're almost there," Dean called to him as Sam stopped to catch his breath and looked up at him.

"I'm good..." Sam huffed, wiping the sweat from his face as he looked upward. When Dean said they were climbing the mountain, he meant they were actually going to climb a mountain. The view was almost straight up and you had to be careful and not lose your footing. With a determined intake of air, he pushed off from the tree and continued to follow behind Dean, hoping he was right about almost being there. He grabbed small trees and rocks to pull himself higher, noticing the forest was thinning ahead of him and he could finally see it opening up ahead of him.

"We're here Sammy," Dean beamed as they crested the top and came out on a mesa.

Sam pulled himself the last few steps and stopped to look out across the valley below them. It was spectacular. He was looking out into the valley and could see the lake way down below them. He turned to find a river running across the top of the mountain and disappearing over the edge thinking it must feed the lake.

"C'mon, that's not all," Dean told him as he headed for the river and started hiking along the bank.

"Man, this is awesome Dean. How did you find this?"

"Spent my summers here as a kid, there's not much about this place that I don't know about."

They rounded a small bend and Sam faltered in his tracks as he gazed at a large waterfall plunging down into a huge pool below. He stood there just staring at it and the beauty of the place until Dean smacked him on the arm to get his attention.

"We can rest over there," he pointed to a partly shaded area at the edge of the river.

Sam followed him and shed his pack and his hiking boots before going to stand at the lip of the pool and letting the spray of the water sprinkle over him. He tilted his head back and closed his eyes, enjoying the feel on his hot skin. Without warning, Sam felt himself being tackled and the sense of weightless for a moment, before falling into the icy coldness of the pool. He came up spluttering and splashing as he wiped the water from his face to see Dean floating nearby with a smirk on his face.

"Thought you needed a little cooling off there Sammy," he chuckled, getting a face full of water for a response.

"Damn! I didn't know it would be this cold," Sam complained as he swam around the pool to warm up.

"It's coming from the mountains," Dean shrugged as he floated in the water. "What better way to cool off that a dip."

"You got me there. It's not so bad once you get use to it," Sam said ducking his head and smoothing his hair backwards. "This is heaven..." he sighed letting his body relax and float on the surface as he started up at the rushing water coming down from the rocks.

"We'll give it a little longer and I'll be ready for some lunch. Sound good?"

"Yeah, that hike can build up an appetite," Sam mumbled wondering if it could get any better than this. It was like the world stopped for a while to let them enjoy some peace and tranquility. He now knew just how much he needed something like this to allow himself to shed the pain and suffering and heartache from his shoulders. And he knew as much as he needed it, he understood that Dean needed it too. Sam closed his eyes and stopped thinking, he let his mind shut down and he drifted away on a peaceful cloud not wanting to leave this place.

"Sammy, hey dude you with me?" Dean called to him slashing water in his face to get his attention.

"Wh'..." Sam gurgled as he went under getting a mouth of water. He came back up coughing and wiping his face. He didn't know how much time passed and looked over at Dean floating beside him.

"Let's eat, we're gonna turn into a prune if we stay in any longer."

"Okay," Sam said using gentle strokes to make it to the edge of the pool and carefully climb out onto the rocks.

"There's a towel in your pack to dry off and we can lay our clothes on the hot rocks to get dry before we hike back down," Dean informed him as he opened his own pack to pull out a towel. He stripped his cargo shorts and tee shirt off and wrung them out before laying them on a boulder nearby. He dried and then spread the towel down to sit on before pulling food and drink from the pack.

Sam followed suit and stripped from his wet clothes, shivering suddenly when a breeze blew around them. It wasn't cold until he got out of the water. He spread his shorts and tee shirt out carefully, pulling the wrinkles and flattening it on the rock. He sat down beside Dean, leaning back against a warm rock and looked deeper into his pack to see what he had packed for lunch. He found a cold bag with a drink, sandwiches, grapes, chips and several of his favorite cookies for dessert.

Dean was pulling out the same thing and they ate in silence just taking in their surroundings and enjoying what Mother Nature had to offer. Dean stretched out on his towel after eating and closed his eyes, sighing softly as he let the warmth of the sun warm his chilled body. He was at peace and felt some of the burden he carried being lifted away. He was glad his plan was working and they were both putting behind them the things that weighted them down.

spn

It was the evening of their third day at the cabin and they were sitting on the back deck gazing up at the stars that were just starting to come out. Sam didn't think he had ever felt this calm and at peace before. The night sounds were filling the silence between the two who were happy to just sit there, sip their beers and watch the light show take place.

Dean looked over at Sam and saw the contentment and bliss on his face and smiled to himself. He knew this was what he needed to help him heal. It was good for both of them to unwind and reflect and find some solitude with no one else around to bother them. They didn't have to worry about all the hectic aspects of life for a while.

"Hey check it out Sammy!" Dean said excitedly as he got up and pointed out into the yard.

Sam looked to where he was point and gasped in surprise getting up to stand by the railing. Hundreds of little lights could be seen all over the yard coming up from the ground. The scene before him looked like something from a fairy tale. He could just imagine each one being a tiny fairy flitting around trying to find a friend. The lightening bugs flew higher and their lights started blinking faster as they filled the night air. Sam held out his hand as several landed on it and studied them for a moment before watching them fly away into the night air.

"Wow! I don't think I've ever seen anything like that before," he said turning to grin happily at Dean who smiled back at him. "This is amazing!"

Dean leaned back in his chair and studied Sam thinking he was finally healing now and how young he looked in the fading light with that look of wonderment on his face and that sparkle that had come back to his eyes. He had made the right decision coming up here with Sam and getting away from the rest of the world for a while.

"Oh crap, shit!" Sam suddenly cried out as he started spitting and smacking at his face in distress.

Dean got up quickly thinking something was wrong and doubled over laughing when he realized what had happened. Tears ran down his face as he tried to get his breath and control his laughter when Sam danced around the deck for a moment.

"Not funny!" Sam pouted as he spit again.

"Guess that'll teach ya to keep your mouth shut when watching lightening bugs," Dean chuckled wiping the tears from his face and sighing happily. That felt so good to him. It had been a while since he had a good laugh like that.

"How was I to know one would fly in my mouth," he grunted grabbing his water to rinse his mouth of the foul taste. "When is your Dad getting here?" Sam asked after he got calmed down and the lightening bug show was almost over.

"He said late tonight, but that could mean anytime. You okay with him coming Sammy?"

Sam turned to Dean surprised, "Of course I am. I think it's great you're both letting go of the past and being in each other's lives again. I told you a long time ago, to give it a chance. I like John and I am grateful for all he did for me. He's a good man."

"Thanks bro, I think he likes you too. I'm pretty sure you just got an adopted Dad."

"I like that. Are we going fishing again?"

"Yep, tomorrow. Dad does a mean grilled fish, but remember; I told you it was your turn to find bait," Dean said looking knowingly at Sam a hint of mischief in shining in his eyes.

"Right," Sam said, mulling it over and knew the best thing for him to do was search online. He'd do it before going to bed and surprise Dean.

"I could really get use to this," Dean mumbled tracing the stars of the constellations he knew with his eyes. "Sammy are you doing okay? Really okay."

Sam cocked his head and pursed his lips thinking about it and all he had been through with nearly being killed twice, physical abuse and the loss. "I think I am. I mean it's not something I'm going to forget for a long time, but...I am learning to cope with all of it and come to terms with what happened. I'll never forget Jo and what happened to her, but I know I have to move forward. She would have wanted that for the both of us. And this..." he said waving his hands out. "This was the best thing you could of done for me, bringing me here. So...thank you for this and giving me a new family on top of it."

"My pleasure," Dean replied happy to see Sam seemed to be allowing himself this time. He knew he couldn't take away the memories, but at least he could make them more bearable.

spn

Noises inside caught Dean's attention and he went on alert as he got up and stood in front of Sam. He relaxed when a voice called out.

"Anyone home?" John called. "Don't shoot, its only me."

"Hey Dad, we're out here."

"Was beginning to wonder if you were here," John said joining them on the deck. He accepted the beer Dean held out to him and took a long swallow.

"Just star gazing," Dean replied sitting back down as John pulled a chair over. "Remember we use to do this when we'd come up during the summer?"

"Yeah, your Mom loved this time of da,." he replied. "How ya doing Sammy?" John asked in a fatherly fashion.

"I'm good sir," Sam answered, not missing the name he called him.

"It's John, you can do away with the sir. Makes me feel old."

"Gee Dad, but you are old," Dean popped up with, grinning at Sam as he said it.

Sam tried to keep a straight face, but broke down and snickered at him, and tried to hide it by taking a sip of beer. He watched the surprised look on John's face before he laughed too.

"I guess you got me there son."

"Finish your beer Sammy; if we're fishing in the morning, we have to get up early," Dean told him before draining his bottle.

"How's that coming by the way?"

"Only hooked myself twice," Sam admitted holding up his bandaged fingers. "But a fish got me pretty good once."

"You've shed blood, guess that means you're been initiated."

"I though you could grill what we catch for dinner tomorrow night," Dean offered.

"I can do that. Does the grill have gas?"

"Yep, filled it last time we were here. It should be good and we'll do the sides."

"You two head on to bed. I need to relax a bit and stop driving," John told them slouching down in the lounge chair and staring at the sky wanting to relive some memories of his own.

"See you in the morning Dad."

"Good night sir, I mean John."

"Good night boys."

spn

"I need to check something on my laptop, so you can use the bathroom first," Sam told Dean as they threw their empty bottles away in the kitchen.

"Alright, don't be too long. You need your rest," Dean told him, his mothering mode coming out. Even thought Sam was doing better, Dean still knew he needed time. He was still having nightmares and Dean knew a little something about PTSD and knew it wouldn't go away over night.

"I won't," he assured him opening it up so it would boot up. Once it did, he quickly typed in fishing and bait to see what he could learn and was surprised at some of the things used for bait. He smiled broadly when he saw exactly what to use in the morning and got up to fix it. He was going to show Dean he was creative and resourceful. It took him ten minutes to fix up two small containers, hiding them on the bottom shelf of the fridge where Dean wouldn't see them in the morning. With that done, he headed for the bedroom to get his sleep clothes and use the bathroom. Dean was coming out as he came out of the bedroom.

"By the way, might as well wear the same jeans tomorrow and not mess up another pair. After we get back I'll throw everything in to wash."

"Alright," Sam said slipping into the bathroom before he saw the look of triumph on his face and questioned him. He changed clothes, brushed his teeth and relieved himself. Sam looked into the mirror staring at his reflection and marveled at the difference it looked less than two weeks ago. He was starting to get a golden glow to his skin from being at the lake and staying outside the past few days. He grabbed up his dirty clothes and walked back to the bedroom to see Dean was already in bed. He had left the small lamp on between their beds so he could see. Sam turned his bed down and slipped under the cool covers before reaching over to turn it off.

"Good night Dean," he whispered not expecting an answer.

"'Nite bro," Dean mumbled back with a sigh.

spn

"Your Dad still sleeping?" Sam asked as they got ready to head down to the lake.

"Yeah, figured I'd let him sleep in since he drove most of yesterday to get here last night. So...You got us some bait to use?"

"I do," Sam said proudly as he packed the waters in a cold bag and slipped the two containers in with them without Dean seeing.

"C'mon need to spray you down 'fore we head out."

"I know, close my eyes and hold my breath," Sam mocked as he pulled his hair back out of the way.

"You know Sammy, I could give ya a little trim, get rid of some of that hair."

"You're not touching my hair," Sam stated firmly.

"I'm just saying..."

"No!"

"Hold still," Dean ordered as he quickly sprayed him to keep the bugs away. "You put some sun screen on? You're getting a little red on your face."

"I did, did you?"

"Don't need it, I don't burn."

"You sure? Your nose is pretty red looking."

"I'm good, let's go catch us some dinner for tonight," Dean said ignoring Sam's comment and picking up the gear to hike to the lake.

"I'm just saying..." Sam insisted putting on his hat and sunglasses before picking up his fishing pole and cold bag.

spn

The sun was just coming up over the trees and casting long shadows onto the water as they stepped on the dock and got set up. Dean stood there with his arms crossed waiting for Sam to produce the bait.

"Well? Where's the bait?"

"Here," Sam said pulling the two containers from the cold bag. He opened them up and tilted them to show Dean.

Dean looked inside and frowned for a moment before speaking. "We're fishing with lunch?" he inquired.

"I looked it up. You can use either of these to catch fish. So which do you want the corn or the hot dog?" Sam asked holding them out for Dean to choose.

"If this doesn't work Sammy, I'm gonna throw you in so you can catch our dinner bare handed," Dean growled fishing a piece of cut up hot dog out and looking at it before putting it on his hook. "You better pray this works..."

Sam pulled out some whole kernel corn and threaded them on his hook and got ready to cast out opposite of Dean, but wasn't paying attention and when he tried to flip the line out, caught the back of Dean's shirt in the process.

"Hey! Hey! Don't pull!" Dean complained when he felt his shirt being jerked. He looked over his shoulder and saw Sam's hook caught on his shirt. "I don't think I count as a catch there Sammy."

"Sorry, sorry...My fault...Hold still..." Sam stuttered moving behind him and getting the hook loose from his shirt. "Hey! You got a bite," he cried when he saw Dean's float go under.

Dean jerked on the pole to set the hook and began to reel it in while Sam watched excitedly. He pulled it from the water and captured the fish before it could get away.

"See I told you it would work," he boasted happily, almost dancing with joy that his bait had worked.

"Beginner's luck," Dean muttered getting out a stringer to put the fish on. "I figure two a piece should be good. No use keeping what we won't eat."

"Here goes," Sam said being more careful this time as he tossed his line out into the water near some bull rushes.

"Be careful, if the fish goes in those things you'll never get it out."

"Okay," Sam said cranking the reel a little and hearing the click. He stopped and looked out onto the water's surface seeing some small fish swimming nearby and found his bright red float moving lazily in the water. A cool breeze blew across the lake and the surface on the water was almost mesmerizing as he watched the ripples and the movement and how it looked like he was seeing another world in the reflection of the trees and sky made on it. It almost gave him a dizzy feeling and he closed his eyes for a moment to let it pass. The one thing he didn't want to do was upchuck in front of Dean. That would be embarrassing.

Dean had baited his line again and flicked it out not far from where he caught the fish and set it before leaning back against the railing. They waited patiently for any fish to bite and were rewarded with strikes twenty minutes later.

"I got one," Sam said happily as he brought it in. He got it up on the dock and was smart this time and brought an old rag to grab the fish with so he could remove the hook.

"Wuzz..." Dean smirked watching Sam wrap the fish in the rag. "Run this through its mouth and out the gill," he explained to Sam holding out the stringer. "And anchor it to the dock and let the fish drop in the water. That way they'll stay alive until we get ready to scale and gut them." Sam took it off the hook and added it to the first one Dean had caught.

"Sounds like fun," Sam grimaced not wanting to think about that part of it. He thought worm guts were bad, fish guts had to be worse and a lot more of them.

"Don't worry, it's not that bad."

spn

They baited their hooks and threw them back out and sat down to wait. It was nearly thirty minutes before Dean finally got a bite, but when he got it in, he decided it was too small to keep and tossed it back. Ten minutes later, Sam got a fish to add to the growing string. They both had their lines out and was waiting as the sun got higher in the sky and Dean was gonna call it quits.

"Sammy can I ask you something?"

"Sure, what?"

"What are you going to do when we leave here?" Dean questioned deciding now was a good time find out Sam's plans.

"I don't really know..." Sam said thinking on the question. "Are we planning on leaving soon?"

"I was wondering if maybe you'd like to take a road trip with me. You know check out the country, see some sights, just see where the road takes us. There's a lot of country out there I've not seen and...Well...It'd be nice to have some company..."

"Hell yeah!" Sam said without thinking about it. "I think that would be awesome! I can look up places to go see and I've never seen the Pacific Ocean yet and think we could check out a national park or two? This is going to be awesome!" he rattled on so excited he almost dropped his pole in the water.

"I thought now that I have my Baby, she'd be just the car to go tripping in. Besides, we have a wedding and a birth to go to in the near future too and we can't forget the war games with Charlie now can we? We did make a promise."

"Are you sure? I mean I don't really know if I should be included at the we..."

"I'm sure. Like I told you we're all family and that includes you. Maverick's one of us and you'll like him, he's a laid back type of guy," Dean said with conviction. "Besides I can't wait to see you dressed in tights and wielding a sword," he smirked as he laughed.

"Not happening dude. No way," Sam said sternly.

"What are you boys talking about?" John asked as he stepped onto the dock catching the end of their conversation.

"Sammy and me are going to take a road trip in a few days; you know go check out some sights and stuff."

"I think that's a great idea."

"We've almost caught enough fish for dinner tonight."

"Got another one," Sam said as he began to reel the line in only to have the fish flop out of the water and get off the hook. "Crap!"

"It's okay Sammy, you can't catch them all," John told him, looking from one to the other thinking things were finally looking up. Not only did he get his son back, but he got an extra one to boot.

"C'mon kid, it's getting hot out here. We only need one more."

"Dean, didn't you put on sun screen?" John asked him. "Your face is really getting red.

"I told you, but you wouldn't listen to me."

"I'm fine, not another word unless you want to take a swim."

"Jerk."

"Bitch."

Carry on, you will always remember
Carry on, nothing equals the splendor
Now your life's no longer empty
Surely heaven waits for you.

Carry on my wayward son
For there'll be peace when you are done
Lay your weary head to rest
Don't you cry no more.

The End